Tall dead grass surrounded Steel, going on for miles around him. A half full moon offered little light in this area and stars refused to shine in a sky heavy with the refuse of war. The last Russian city had been left long ago and only three miles ahead sat between Steel and the Chinese border. He lay in the grass in a natural hiding spot formed where a stream had cut into the earth and then dried up at some ancient time. He should have been perfectly covered. No one should have even looked for a small American hiding in the bushes just outside enemy borders. He had no fear about this mission, not that he ever feared them.

Steel had a pair of night vision goggles over his eyes as he scanned the horizon. Intel had it that a prison sat somewhere in this area. No brilliant lights caught his attention, but this did not disprove anything. He was one of the best spies in the American army so they sent him over here as soon as the war broke out. He still remembered that day clearly. His brother screaming bloody murder to the Chinese, news showing images of broken bodies on reruns, himself strangely glad because it meant he had a use. He was no good at school, or the army, but he was good at this because he didn't need to play well with others.

The softest sound of a twig snapping caught Steel's attention. As silently as possible, he pulled a long knife with a hooked blade out of his boot. Angry whispered Chinese reached his ears, the content something about needing to fan out because someone was snooping around. He'd been made. How the hell had he been made? He'd been laying in the god forsaken ditch for two days now, watching a whole lot of nothing and he'd done nothing, nothing to give himself away.

Right as one of the enemy soldiers was almost on top of him, Steel jumped up and knifed the guy. It wasn't quick enough to stop him from screaming through. Three other soldiers came running from out of the grass at the sound of their comrade's death. Steel barely avoided a bullet and cut another guy, but next thing he knew, he was disarmed and his arms twisted behind his back. "Who are you? Are you American? Do you want to die?" the soldiers screamed, the point of a very large gun jamming itself against Steel's head.

He just grinned and stared the soldier right in the eyes. If he was going to die, then he would do it with dignity. "I don't speak Chinese, you dumb chop-sticks. I bet it's hard to walk with those chop-sticks shoved so far up your-" The butt of a gun slammed against Steel's head, making blackness swim in his eyes. The last thing he heard before he passed out was, "Take him to the prison."